


give me your worst excuses

by newhams



Category: The Society (TV 2019)
Genre: F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Mutual Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-01
Updated: 2019-08-01
Packaged: 2020-07-28 22:33:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,606
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20071693
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/newhams/pseuds/newhams
Summary: For all Allie Pressman hates clichés, she knows that she is one herself.-(Or, the one where Allie and Harry fake date.)





	give me your worst excuses

**Author's Note:**

> i promise i'm still working on my other hallie fic but i was hit with temp writers block which led to this because who doesn't love a good fake dating au? i hope you enjoy!

For all Allie Pressman hates clichés, she knows that she is one herself.

She’s crushing on a guy who doesn’t like her back. The guy just so happens to be her best friend.

“I know we call it _movie night_, but it doesn’t have to be a movie, right? You say you don’t like The Office but, I swear, you will love it. You just need to watch a few more episodes. It’s my turn to pick anyway, so you can’t complain.”

She closes her locker slightly to view Will’s reaction to her proposal. Allie’s prepared for him to argue against her logic and instead repeat that he wants to watch Star Wars or something that Allie doesn’t, but he isn’t even looking at her. Allie knows the one who holds his attention is Kelly before she even checks.

She’s right. Of course.

Kelly isn’t even doing anything – she’s talking to Gwen as she grabs books from her locker before the next bell rings – and Will still looks at her like she’s the only person in the room. Allie doesn’t remember anyone ever looking at her like that, certainly not the boy who holds her affections. It hurts, and yet she’s almost used to it at this point.

“Will,” she huffs, louder this time as if he isn’t right next to her. “Did you even listen to anything I was saying?”

He’s still looking right at Kelly when he answers her. “Yeah, sounds great.”

It’s a moment that makes Allie want to look into a non-existent camera like _she_ is the one on The Office.

***

Sometimes, her crush on Will makes her heart feel warm and her cheeks turn red.

She’s assistant stage manager, again. It’s her go-to role. (She ignores the irony of being assigned the job of watching her sister in the shadows with no one in the audience to notice what she’s doing. It would infuriate her if she didn’t have her own dark sense of humour.)

Cassandra is fantastic and incredible and makes everyone emotional with her performance and it’s all she hears about. Allie agrees with everyone, and makes sure to tell her sister that, although she can’t ignore the longing she feels for someone to once notice her. Not that she would ever admit such thoughts out loud.

Her sister is off talking to people that would never bother giving Allie the time of day when Will finally comes over to her.

“For you,” he says, handing her a bouquet of flowers. Allie can’t even try to suppress her smile, and takes the flowers and smells them. “Amazing as always.”

It’s moments like these where her heart betrays her head and Allie thinks there is a version of this world where Will likes her back and the two could be together.

“Thank you, but all the praise has to go to your 2 minute performance,” she tells him as the butterflies make their way around her stomach and her eyes shine brighter than usual.

“I think it was definitely 5.”

She’s about to tease him further and argue that he didn’t really do much in the scenes because he was an extra, but she stops when Kelly appears behind Will. She does so hesitantly, as though she’s afraid to disrupt their bubble, and it makes Allie feel worse.

She wishes she could hate Kelly. It would be so much easier if she was the popular girl in school who was a bitch to everyone else. That would really set in stone everything in Allie’s life being a cliché.

Kelly isn’t though – she’s kinder than most, more considerate. She’s always been nice to Allie and Cassandra, and she’s much smarter than she thinks anyone notices.

(Allie notices everything.)

Will’s eyes lighten up when he sees her, and it’s these moments where her stupid, stupid crush only serves to hurt her heart. The thing is, Allie even understands why Will is so drawn to her. On his first day, Harry had made a snide comment at him about something she doesn’t remember, and Kelly had looked apologetic which Will naturally remembers.

Maybe that’s all it takes, just one small moment in the midst of everything else. 

“Hey.” Will greets her, with a smile she thinks is reserved for Kelly only. “We’re gonna go, um… grab some food?”

It’s a question that isn’t really a question – what he’s saying is _we’re heading out. You’re gonna be on your own. Bye Allie_. If she were in a worse mood, Allie would probably roll her eyes at his lack of subtlety, but she extends her patience by forcing a smile and a goodbye and thinks that maybe she would be good at acting after all as well.

It’s as if the universe is mocking her restraint, however, when she hears the sound of Harry Bingham’s voice in her direction.

“Regifted flowers, really?”

It isn’t angry or mocking or condescending or anything she normally hears from him, which takes her by surprise. She convinces herself that’s why she gives him any time of the day.

“They’re not regifted.” Allie snaps in return, because maybe she doesn’t have the effort to deal with Harry right now. Any interaction between the two of them only consists of Allie side lining her sister arguing with him, and she’s sure his hatred likely runs deep enough for it to extend to her.

Instead of leaving like she thought he would, Harry reaches forward for something, and hands her a note that was in the bouquet she’s currently holding.

_To Cassandra, _

_Congrats on tonight. All your hard work finally paying off!_

_From,_

_Mrs Beecham_

Normally, she’d laugh at the idea of Will doing so, and she imagines that was the intention. Tonight though all it does is make her sink further down.

“Oh,” is all Allie mumbles, not a trace of amusement hidden in the word.

She briefly wonders if he’s going to take this moment to make fun of her, and honestly she wouldn’t blame him. She’s making fun of herself right now too.

“Well, I think you did great, Pressman,” he offers, and she knows that there’s no way he even paid attention to what she was doing as he was on stage next to Cassandra throughout it all.

It’s still nice of him to say though, and nice is a word she doesn’t associate with Harry Bingham, and Allie isn’t impolite. “Thanks. You too.” Allie also doesn’t say things she doesn’t mean if she doesn’t have to – he was really good. There’s a reason Harry and Cassandra are perfect rivals and it’s because they’re both so talented at what they do.

“And yet, where are my flowers?” He teases, pretending to look around for them. It warrants a pathetic laugh from Allie, and she wonders if her sister is glaring at them from the other side of the room.

“There’s enough of Cassandra’s to go around.” Allie feels guilty for sounding bitter, but if there’s one person who would understand the struggle of comparing yourself to Cassandra it’s Harry.

“Isn’t there always?” He questions as he begins to walk off and leave Allie wondering what the hell just happened, but he calls her name again as if he was reconsidering something. “There’s a party at mine later. You should come.”

Of course Allie knows that of Harry’s annual parties after their big performances, not that her or Cassandra or Will are ever invited to go. She lets herself take this as her own petty win – she was invited before they were. It’s silly and means nothing, but Allie comes first in almost nothing, and so she allows the feeling to arise for at least a moment.

“Maybe.” She already knows her mind is made up though. Allie won’t go because she doesn’t really know or talk to anyone else going. She doesn’t want to put up hearing what her sister would have to say about it either. It’s not really worth it, even if her curiosity is there.

“You look like you could use a distraction,” he adds and Allie understands why he seems to have everyone wrapped around his finger when he’s able to charm people so easily. It’s also irritating the way he reads her so well. “Think about it.”

Allie is going to tell him no, but he leaves before she gets the chance. He’s infuriating, but it’s only then she registers that talking to Harry had removed Will entirely from her thoughts, and she thinks a party doesn’t sound like the worst idea to go to.

***

Harry’s house is already alive by the time she gets there. There’s red plastic cups scattered everywhere and there’s a buzz in the air that almost intimidates her. Allie doesn’t really go anywhere without Cassandra, and she feels very out of place.

She begins to rethink her decision to come and hears the voice in her head that sounds so much like her sister telling her she should’ve stayed home. Allie pushes past the vast amount of people to get outside and allow herself to just _breathe_ and regrets it immediately.

Harry and Kelly are arguing next to the pool as Will stands behind her, likely for support.

Everyone at school knew that Harry and Kelly had broken up over a month ago. The details weren’t exactly known, just that Kelly had been the one to break up with him. Her new friendship or whatever she had with Will added to the rumours going around, despite how much Allie liked to ignore it.

She knows she’s intruding so she, again, turns to leave but her plan to do so fails when her name is called. “Allie?”

When she turns back around, they’re all staring at her and Allie curses Will’s name under her breath. She walks tentatively over to them to stand next to Harry. “I thought you were going to ‘grab some food.’”

She knows her tone is perhaps a little accusatory and maybe even a little childish but she thinks she has the right to be pissed when Will lied to her face. She wouldn’t have cared if he had said they were going to Harry’s party and she doesn’t know why he thinks she would.

“We decided last minute to come here.” Will, again, lies to her. Harry scoffs loudly.

“Right.” Allie says, and there’s a beat of silence between the four of them. All Allie’s mind screams is: I want to be home in bed_ why why why_

“What are you doing here?” She doesn’t know if Will is just confused, or if he’s judging her, or even both.

“I invited her.” Harry speaks before she can respond, and Allie will admit that there was something satisfying about seeing the reactions of Will and Kelly to that.

Will is the one who scoffs in reaction this time, and she takes note that Harry is finding amusement in this. She imagines he’s still hurting over his and Kelly’s breakup, and Will was quick to swoop in after his years of crushing on Kelly.

“What?” Will just asks, looking between the two of them like they’re a puzzle he can’t figure out. “Come on, Allie. I’ll take you home.”

He reaches forward for her and Allie takes a step back. Although she may have felt out of place when she arrived, she doesn’t want to leave now. She came here to be free of thinking about her crush, not to come face to face with him to allow him to talk to her like she’s five. “No, Will. I came and I’m staying.”

“I lied because I didn’t want you to feel left out or anything, okay?” He tells her like it’s supposed to make her feel better, like he’s looking out for her feelings, and it infuriates her even more because that’s the problem. “There’s no way you actually want to be here, so let’s go.”

“She said she’s staying.” Harry states in a way that challenges Will. He looks like he’s going to argue back, but Kelly reaches for Will’s hand which seems to soften him. They share a look between them and decide to leave, not without his lasting glare at Harry though.

“My parties don’t always start like this,” Harry turns to her, with a half smile for a half joke. They both seem defeated right now and it’s almost funny to her that she can bond with Harry Bingham of all people for wanting someone who wants someone else. “Stay here, I’ll go get you a drink.”

She lets him wander into the overwhelming mass of people and slumps down by the pool. It’s one of those warm summer nights but all she feels is bitter.

Harry finds her only minutes later with two drinks in hand and sits beside her in the quiet. She has no idea why he’s decided to even entertain her presence and wonders how long it will last. No one cares enough about Allie by herself to spend this much time with her and only her.

When she looks over at him, his beautiful features highlighted in the reflected light from his pool, he looks deep in thought. “What were you and Kelly arguing about?”

She doesn’t ask him in the _I-need-to-know-so-I-can-tell-everyone-at-school _way she suspects he’s used to from people like Gwen which is maybe why he answers. Or maybe Harry just wants someone to talk to. “I told Will I didn’t want him here. She didn’t take that too nicely.”

And maybe she shouldn’t, but it makes Allie laugh. He seems to find her laughter just as amusing. “Why do you hate Will so much?” she asks, but he fixes with her a look that seems to just answer the question with. “He isn’t bad. Seriously.”

“You’re only saying that because you’re in love with him or whatever.”

Allie winces, and redirects her attention to the sleeves of her jumper. No one has ever been that open about her feelings in front of her, even Cassandra only tiptoes around the idea of her crush. “I’m not like… in love with him.”

She isn’t lying about that. Allie doesn’t really know the depths of her feelings for Will, just knows that they’re there and she wishes they weren’t.

“Sucks, doesn’t it?”

“Which part?” she asks, still keeping her gaze on her sleeves because it’s easier than facing his openness.

Vulnerability isn’t always Allie’s strong suit, not when she feels like she has to be in check all the time. It’s something she can’t control anymore, not when you grow up in an environment where one wrong emotion shown is too much for your parents to deal with when Cassandra has real problems.

“Being alone,” he answers like he’s haunted by such. Maybe he is. His father’s death was only a few months ago, and now he’s lost Kelly. She doesn’t think any of the people he hangs out with are his real friends. It makes Allie finally turn to look up at the boy next to her, and for once she feels like she really gets him.

“Is that why you throw all these parties?” she wonders out loud.

The corner of his lips turn up slightly. “Maybe I just need my own distraction.” He echoes their earlier conversation.

“Real great distraction,” she scoffs, only lightly teasing. “I was about to run out of here before Will called my name.”

“Yeah, well, running has never been your thing, has it?” Allie only looks puzzled, and maybe mildly offended, which pushes him to continue, “I see you at school walking round the circuit whilst the rest of us sweat it, Pressman.”

She can’t hold in her laughter as she nudges him gently. “Shut up.”

There’s a part of her in shock at hearing Harry admit ‘I see you at school’ when she thinks she was unnoticed by everyone. Allie is about to get away with doing nothing because she’s invisible, even to teachers. They know her by her last name through association with Cassandra, but Allie thinks most of them don’t know her real name to tell her to get moving anyway.

Sometimes being a shadow works well for her.

“Besides, surely you enjoyed putting Will in his place. I mean I sure did.” He wears his shit eating grin like it was hilarious rather than painful and awkward, and she wishes she had that energy.

“I’ll admit seeing the faces of them when you told them _you_ invited _me_ felt kinda good.” Allie admits slowly, which only increases Harry’s amusement. It’s infectious though, and she finds herself feeling lighter and sillier for once.

“See!” He practically yells, and she doesn’t know if it’s the alcohol or if maybe she just didn’t know Harry like she thought she did, but they’re both laughing together.

She can’t help but wonder what a sight this would be if someone stumbled from outside the house – seeing Harry Bingham and Allie Pressman talking like old friends.

It’s definitely the alcohol.

***

If you told Allie a year ago, even a month ago, that she would enjoy Harry Bingham’s presence then she would laugh. A week after she went to his party and she might even consider them friends.

It’s a weird turn of events that no one seems to be able to wrap their head around.

Some more than others.

She opens a snapchat from Harry as she waits by Cassandra’s locker with Will. He’s still in bed, looking miserable and the text bar reads ‘_how the fuck is it only Monday_’. It was sent 20 minutes ago which means he’s late, again. She laughs to herself thinking about the lecture he’s going to receive from their English tutor.

Apparently Allie isn’t allowed to laugh at anything she sees on her phone without hearing the end of it though.

“Is that Harry again?” Will asks like he’s interrogating her. A part of her wishes it was jealousy making him act like this at the mere thought of Allie talking to Harry, but he just seems disappointed, like Allie is doing this to spite him. Allie isn’t allowed to do anything for herself either it seems.

“Knock it off, Will.” Cassandra tells him gently to Allie’s surprise.

“I thought you of all people would be mad about this.”

“Allie can make her own choices. Even wrong ones.” she finishes, and Allie ignores the pointed look in her direction. “I need to speak to a teacher before class starts, so I’ll see you later.”

They let Cassandra go and Allie hopes that’s the last of the conversation.

She groans when it isn’t.

“Seriously, Allie. I don’t trust him.”

“Seriously, Will, _I don’t care_.”

“What’s even going on between you two?” he pushes, and she’s never wished for Kelly to appear more than she has now. Not even Allie questioned Will over his new relationship with her this much. “Are you guys like… dating now or something?”

He sounds so repulsed by the idea, and Allie is going to shut him down but he doesn’t even give her the chance. “Is this your ways of getting back at us? At me and Kelly?”

Will is her best friend (or, supposed to be) but his words make her blood boil. He can’t for one second accept that just maybe Allie has another friend and she isn’t spending all her time pining over him.

And maybe it’s the anger from this, or the petty part of her that maybe wishes he could feel what it’s like to have someone in a relationship you don’t want them to be in, but she snaps. “You’re right, you know. We are dating. It has nothing to do with you or Kelly, now please leave it alone, unless I have to get Harry over here to convince you of it too.”

Now he’s quiet. Allie feels for once at peace without his incessant questioning and the knowledge that he’ll stop for now.

Then she sees Harry walk into school and she thinks she’s the world’s biggest idiot.

“I’ll catch you later, okay?” Allie quickly says to Will before rushing over to Harry before this gets worse. She already feels the pain of how awkward it’s going to be to tell him what she’s just told Will.

“I really need to talk to you,” is how Allie greets him. He looks half asleep still.

“Hello to you too.”

She walks next to his side presumably to his locker and ignores the few confused stares from other students. Harry and Allie talk through their phones or a quick conversation in class but this is still more than they’re used to. 

He casts a glance over at her and probably feels the nervous energy coming out of her in waves. “What’s up?”

“So… I, um, may have told Will we were dating.”

She doesn’t know what emotion she expects from him – surprise? Frustration? Disgust_?_

No. He just fucking _smirks_.

“And why would you do that?” he quips, which does absolutely nothing to reduce the tension Allie feels.

“It was stupid. He just kept pestering me about you and making assumptions and I said it so he could get off my back.”

He doesn’t say anything for a moment, and that’s making it worse.

“What’s in it for me?” he asks finally.

Allie is taken aback by his question. “What?”

“I’ll be your fake boyfriend, but what’s in it for me, Pressman?”

She opens her mouth to speak and closes it in the same second. Her mind races to think of something, anything that Harry could possibly want. “You want Kelly back? Reminding her what she’s missing will help.”

It’s a risky card to play because Allie doesn’t know the extent of their relationship. She doesn’t know why they broke up, if Harry is still hurting. He scoffs, and she isn’t any closer to being able to tell if she was wrong or not.

“You have to bring me a black coffee every day,” he starts, and she knows he’s going to use this to his advantage. She doesn’t even blame him, she would too.

Coffee. Check. She can do that.

“You have to come to all my parties.”

Her instant reaction is to frown, but the last one she went to with him albeit was one of the best nights of the year for her. She can manage that. She nods.

“You help me run through my lines for all oncoming drama productions.”

Allie decides to fire one back at him. “Then you can help me with chemistry work because I suck and you’re the best in the class.”

He agrees like that’s nothing. She thinks the worst has yet to come.

“Just one last thing,” he finishes, sporting a grin that she knows isn’t going to be great for her, “you can’t tell Cassandra that it’s fake.”

This is the part she hadn’t even considered yet. Her sister is going to go mad.

“She knows me better than anyone. I don’t know if there’s any way she’ll believe this is real.” Allie tells him and it’s only half of a lie.

Harry just finds that even funnier. “Then I guess you’ll just have to be that extra bit convincing.”

The universe continues to find her entire existence a joke when the bell rings before Allie has the chance to argue back.

***

She gets a text when she’s in class.

**Harry: **so… what do you want to be saved as in my phone

allie + every heart emoji that exists?? too much??

apple of my eye?? light of my life??

He’s already enjoying this.

**Allie: **just not ‘pressman’

**Harry**: aww i thought you liked when i called you pressman

(He’s right. She does.)

**Allie: **I said what I said

She gets a picture message sent. Allie tries to see it from the angle in her lap as she hides her phone from her current teacher.

It’s a screenshot of Harry’s screen with their chat. Her contact name is at the top. ‘Pressman’ is what it reads. With one yellow heart emoji.

***

Cassandra doesn’t take to the idea.

Allie’s lying on her bed the same day when her sister walks in and sits down next to her. “I heard something from Will today.”

“Oh yeah?” Allie pretends, continuing to scroll through her phone. She isn’t prepared for this conversation. She’s just glad Cassandra waited till they were at home rather than likely blowing up at school. Although she’s sure Harry would’ve loved to see that.

“You and Harry. You’re dating.”

It’s phrased like a question and a statement at the same time.

Allie doesn’t reply.

“Are you just not gonna say anything?”

(She wishes it could be that easy.)

It’s just difficult to talk to Cassandra about this because she knows it’s easy to see right through it. Allie tells her sister nearly everything and something as big as a new relationship she wouldn’t have missed out on telling her.

Instead, she uses her sister’s hatred for Harry to her advantage. “I was afraid of how you were going to react. It’s Harry.”

Cassandra just sighs. “I just don’t understand? Where has all this come from?”

Allie kinda feels guilty for lying because that’s not the relationship she has with her sister. It won’t be forever though. “After he invited me to his party, we just kinda… got closer?”

It’s that moment she thinks that she needs to talk to Harry so they can figure out the details of these things. She has to be convincing.

Her sister only raises an eyebrow.. “I don’t expect you to be over the moon because I know your feelings about him, but he… he makes me laugh. He understands me, you know?”

And this time, she doesn’t lie.

Maybe that’s why Cassandra decides to give it up.

“And Will?”

“He’s with Kelly,” and that’s all.

***

She phones Harry immediately after.

“Are you busy?”

“Do you always greet people with an agenda, Pressman?”

“Only you,” she teases. Allie can’t see him but imagines he is rolling his eyes.

“To answer you, yes. I’m babysitting my sister. It’s not going so great. I may have to call you back.”

Allie hears how exhausted he sounds and debates what she’s thinking of offering next. He’s helped her out though, so she figures she owes him. “Do you want some help?”

“That would be amazing.” He stresses, and Allie leaves as soon as she hangs up

Allie isn’t sure what she was expecting when she made her way into Harry’s house or why he had needed the help.

His sister is sat on their couch, a blanket wrapped around her as her cheeks are stained with tears. “She won’t tell me what happened,” Harry explains and she sees the concern he has.

Allie just nods and makes her way to sit next to the younger girl. She doesn’t even acknowledge her presence. “I’m Allie, a friend of your brother,” she introduces herself to begin with. “Did something happen?”

There’s no answer, just more tears.

“I get it, you know? When you’re upset, you don’t want to talk to anyone. I would lock myself in the bathroom or hide in my bed so I could cry on my own.” She attempts, hoping to get through to her. “Sometimes talking to someone else helps though. They might understand what it is you’re upset about.”

She observes how his sister glances at Harry, and understands that she doesn’t want him to hear. That’s why she has been quiet.

“Hey, Harry, how about you give us a minute and get us something to eat? I know I’m hungry, what about you?” The girl in question nods – the first acknowledgement to anyone talking to her – and Harry takes her words and her pointed look and leaves them alone.

“You can talk to me, if you like. Maybe I can help.”

She sniffles, and Allie hates seeing her upset like this. “I failed my english test today,” she admits. Allie nods to let her know she’s listening. “I tried so hard.”

Allie reaches forward to rub her shoulder gently. “That’s okay. There’ll be more tests, and you’ll do better. You will. It’s only one.”

She just shakes her head. “You don’t get it. Harry is like, the best. He’s so smart. I’m not like that. I never will be.”

It’s this moment when Allie sees herself in the younger girl. She’s been through this exact situation – only she went through these emotions alone. It’s a crushing feeling to think you don’t measure up to a sibling. She doesn’t want her to go through it too.

“My sister, Cassandra, she’s the best at everything. It’s kind of annoying sometimes. I guess Harry is kinda like that too. You know what though?” The girl shakes her head. “It doesn’t matter. There’s always something you’ll be better at. Tell me, what are _you_ good at? There’s gotta be something.”

She denies that there is anything.

Allie takes note of her braided hair. “Did you do this?” She nods. “See, I can’t imagine Harry is good at that. I bet his hair is a mess right now.” She laughs, and Allie feels a little better herself hearing it.

“I just want to make my Dad proud. The same way he was proud of Harry.”

She can’t imagine what it’s like to deal with the death of a parent so young, and it makes her incredibly sad.

“I’m sure you do.” Allie stresses, wanting to get that into her. “You said you tried really hard for this test, right? That’s what matters the most. You tried.” She watches as Harry’s sister wipes her tears away. “And if it makes you feel any better, English is one of the subjects I can do. I can help you if you need.”

“Thanks, Allie,” she replies shyly. There’s a loud bang from the kitchen that makes them both stop. “Can I tell you something else? Harry’s never really been that good at cooking,” she adds, whispering like he’s right next to them.

“No?” Allie smiles. “And we left him in the kitchen alone?”

The younger girl giggles, and Allie extends her hand and leads them to the kitchen.

When she rushes to hug her older brother, Harry looks up at Allie in surprise before mouthing a thank you.

She doesn't know how to tell him that he doesn't need to thank her, that she'd help him whenever he needed, that she loves the way he cares about his sister, so instead she nods and gives him a smile and hopes it suffices.

***

He phones her later that night as she’s about to go to sleep.

“Harry?” she questions, tired in every way there is.

“Allie, hey. I’m sorry it’s late. I just wanted to thank you again, you know, for earlier.”

“That’s okay.”

“There was something you wanted to talk about? Before?”

It takes Allie a second to remember what he’s talking about. Her conversation with Cassandra comes flooding back. “Right. I was just thinking we should get our stories straight if we’re going to pretend to date.”

“Makes sense,” he agrees.

“The night of the party. We got closer.”

“Kelly and Will saw us, so I guess it makes sense.”

“Lets say, you kissed me when we were by the pool. That’s when it happened.”

“Oh, so I’m the one initiating, Pressman?” he makes fun, and she’s glad he can’t see the way she’s smiling into her pillow.

“Yeah, you are. Does that sound okay?”

“Yeah,” he confirms. “but I’m gonna need a bit more if we’re gonna pretend for real.”

“What does that mean?”

“Let’s play 20 questions. I need to know about you to make it believable.”

“Right,” she hums in reply. “You go first then.”

“What’s your favourite colour?”

Allie lets out a small laugh at such a simple question. “Red. What’s yours?”

“Are you just going to repeat mine back to mine? I guess I don’t have one. It changes,” he says over the phone. “Should I say blue though?”

There’s an element of teasing in his voice that she doesn’t understand. “What?”

“Blue, because of your eyes.”

“Yeah, maybe not,” she laughs.

“Okay, next question, the show you love most?” he continues.

“The Office. US version.”

“Fuck, me too.”

“You’re joking?”

“Not in the slightest,” he tells her seriously. It makes her smile beam.

“Maybe there’s a reason I chose you for this after all.”

They promise each other to play 20 questions every night before they go to sleep now. It’s to help keep up the façade.

And if the real reason was that they just wanted to hear each other’s voice before they went to bed, this works out too.

***

For all his known arrogance, Harry keeps up his part. He seems to have too much fun doing so.

He takes Allie to school and back every single day. He doesn’t even tell her he’s going to do– he just turns up outside the Pressman house on Tuesday morning with a text to say he’s outside. She has his black coffee in hand.

“Can’t be letting my girlfriend walk in when I have the fastest car in school, can I?” He teases, and she doesn’t even the heart to be annoyed when he’s offering her a free ride. Harry even begrudgingly offers to take Cassandra but she outright refuses, not that she thinks he minds.

She likes it just the two of them anyway. Harry lets her play whatever obnoxious music she wants, even joins her in singing along loudly.

He makes a deliberate show of running to her side to open the door for her when they arrive always. She thinks it’s because he likes mocking her for all this in a lighthearted way.

(It’s really because he loves the way her cheeks heat up and she lets out a laugh every time.)

Harry continues to take his outward display further when he gives Allie his jacket to wear.

“It’s not even cold,” she mutters, but doesn’t stop him when he places it over her shoulders. It’s warm and smells like him even though she thinks it’s weird to think but it’s a way to continue playing pretend that they’re together, so she does.

She holds out her hand for him to hold before they enter the school building. “Please tell me you’re a waffles kind of person.” She says, referring to the way he holds hands. Allie thinks he might now do pancakes on purpose.

“Of course.” He just answers, and intertwines their fingers before they walk in.

Allie has always been Cassandra’s shadow. The other Pressman sister that everybody forgets about.

It’s a shock to almost everyone when they see her hand in hand with no other than Harry Bingham. News will spread quickly in their school. And suddenly, everyone is staring and Allie hasn’t dealt with this attention before, isn’t made for it, and she freaks out internally.

Harry seems to notice because he squeezes her hand in comfort and she feels her anxiety decrease a little. “I think they’re all just surprised I’m not late,” he jokes, leaning close to whisper to her.

“That’s honestly breaking news. I’m expecting a reporter to start questioning you any second.”

Harry chuckles, and she feels considerably lighter than she did.

It’s then that she registers how easy it is to do this with him. That’s the most dangerous part.

***

“You don’t mind if we take a detour do you?” Harry inquires as they are on the way home from school.

“Is this your way of avoiding helping me out with chemistry?” she bugs him, because that was in their original agreement. Allie brings him his coffee in a flask every day without fail.

“I don’t think we need to work on our chemistry,” he replies, with a stupid smirk that she both hates and adores. “Come on, it’s sunny. We can work outside.”

“Fine.” Allie agrees.

They end up a place that Harry swears down does ‘_the best milkshakes you’ve ever known’_ and sit outside with Allie’s chemistry book in front of her.

(They work for approximately 5 minutes.)

She tries to work through her notes and looks up to hear multiple camera clicks from Harry’s phone. “What are you doing?” she laughs, hiding her face.

“There,” he says, and after a few moments shows her his lock screen. It’s a picture of Allie in the midst of her laughter with her hands only covering half of her face. She hates getting her picture taken, but she’ll admit it’s a little cute.

She pouts. “We can do a better one than that.”

“I’m keeping this one now. No take backs, Pressman.”

“Harry-“

“No, you look really pretty in this one! We’re keeping it.”

Her stomach flips when he calls her pretty. She acts like it doesn’t.

Instead, Allie gets out her phone so she can take a picture of the two of them. They bicker as they do it. “You’re not getting my best angle.” “Harry, seriously? You take it then.” An elderly couple who were sat near to them clearly see their struggle.

“Would you like me to get one for you, dear?” the woman asks.

“Yes, please.”

“There you go. You make such a beautiful couple.”

“Thank you,” Harry answers first. She wonders why he lies when they don’t need to right now.

“You better take care of this young lady,” she continues. It reminds Allie of her own grandmother and the lecture she would give Harry too.

“Definitely.”

The woman had taken two, just in case she said. The first one, they’re both smiling into the camera. The second one, Allie is smiling warmly but Harry’s focus is only on her.

“All my good acting,” is what he tells her.

She makes the second one her lock screen.

“I can’t believe you went with a _strawberry_ milkshake.” He says as they are driving back because he’s apparently not over it still.

“Well,_ I_ loved it,” Allie answers like it’s obvious. She instead judges his choice of vanilla.

“Are you one of those people who likes pineapple on pizza?”

“Yes, I am.” She defends, and he acts like it’s the worst thing he’s ever heard.

Allie thinks about how much fun she’s had in their one outing. It’s the most she’s enjoyed someone else’s company since she used to hang out with Will, who now disappears on her like she was nothing. “You know when this ends, can we still stay friends?”

“Yeah,” he returns, quietly. “Of course.”

***

Allie and Harry didn’t have exact rules for what their fake relationship entailed.

They would hold hands wherever they went. That was their biggest thing.

There were other instances of physical contact – Allie would rest her head on his shoulder when she was tired, his hand would be placed on her lower back if they were walking through the crowded hallway.

It seemed like there was a line that they weren’t sure when or if they should cross.

Allie’s too nervous to bring it up so of course the first instance occurs at the most random time.

Her last class of the day is chemistry. Her teacher is handing back test results. Harry had finally gotten round to helping her study over the past couple of weeks and he’d stayed up all night with her on the phone as she recited information so he could correct her if she was wrong.

“Good job, Allie,” her teacher says as she hands her paper back.

It’s the best grade she’s gotten. Ever.

She’s so happy about it that she rushes outside where she knows Harry is waiting to pick her up and kisses him. It’s sudden, and quick, and rushed because Allie isn’t thinking and she’s happy and the first people she wants to share her good news with is him.

She’s smiling so fucking big and so is Harry and she wants more moments like this forever. “That good?”

Allie holds out her paper for him to see.

“That’s my girl.” He says so proudly that her heart melts.

The line between real and pretend blurs.

*** 

It continues.

They kiss each other goodbye in the hallways before lessons now. It’s only a small kiss on the lips, but they still happen every day.

Harry’s arm is always around her shoulder in the cafeteria at lunch as they talk to his friends or Cassandra or whoever it is that day, and he sometimes kisses her forehead. She keeps her hand on his thigh.

There’s even times where she’s been over at his house (because she isn’t ready to deal with Cassandra and Harry that close together when they just about manage at school) and they fall asleep on his bed and wake up a mess of tangled limbs, usually her head resting against his chest.

They don’t discuss what it means.

***

She’s outside waiting for Harry one day so they can go home when Kelly approaches her. Will has mostly left Allie alone since their first conversation, and she misses him the way every one misses their best friend, but it’s clear he has other priorities now.

The main one being right in front of her.

“Hey, Allie,” she greets her, and she’s smiling genuinely.

“Hi.”

“You and Harry, huh?” She asks, and it’s the same question she’s gotten almost every day since from people she never speaks to.

“Uh, yeah,” Allie answers, painfully. She gestures to his car she’s currently standing by. “I’m just waiting for him to finish now.”

Kelly only nods, and she briefly wonders if maybe her and Harry’s fake relationship will work. Maybe it will convince Kelly that she really wants to be with Harry.

Almost on cue, Harry finally appears. “Hey, Kell.”

She doesn’t know why the nickname makes her insides twist. It’s stupid.

“Hey, I was just talking to Allie.” Harry glances at her and she knows him well enough to know what he’s asking. _Everything okay?_ She nods to him. “I haven’t really had chance to say it, but I wanted to tell you that I’m happy for you, Harry. For both of you. I really am.”

She’s so sincere and honest and it leaves Harry and Allie speechless.

“You two are really cute together.”

Allie looks at Harry. He’s quiet, too quiet, and so she takes over for him because she can’t be sure of what he’s thinking. “Thanks, Kelly.”

“Look after him, yeah?” she says as she departs from them, and Allie whispers a ‘yeah’ in response.

He’s still quiet as they drive home. It’s unnerving.

He stops outside her house like usual, but she can’t bring herself to leave just yet.

“I’m sorry.” She offers.

“What for?” He finally speaks.

“I dragged you into this. I said that it’d help bring Kelly back to you and it… you know. I get it, if you want to, end this or whatever.”

She’s back to that night at his party by the pool when she brings her attention to her sleeves rather than his eyes because she knows now that he’d see right through.

And she doesn’t want this to end. Not yet.

He runs a hand over his face. “That’s not… I never wanted to get back with Kelly.” His confession makes her turn to face him though, because she hadn’t expected that. “She broke up with me because I was a mess. I hadn’t really gotten over my dad. I don’t think I ever will, but it wasn’t good for her. I can see that now. We’ll always be friends, I think, but that’s all.”

“Then… what’s wrong?” Harry doesn’t seem to know how to answer that. She thinks that maybe he just got the closure he needed when talking to Kelly. She doesn’t know. “Why would you agree to do this?”

She’s reminded of their conversation once again.

(“_Sucks, doesn’t it? Being alone.”) _

Maybe that’s why. Maybe even fake and pretend is better than nothing at all. The idea of that breaks her heart a little for him.

“I don’t know.” He answers, and she believes him. “Maybe I just wanted to spend more time with you.”

Her cheeks heat up and she wishes she could fake that this was _pretend._ That Harry wasn’t making her feel things she shouldn’t.

“You had to fake date me to do that?”

“Worked, didn’t it?” It’s his turn to smirk now, and she finds his arrogance almost endearing now. Not that she’d ever tell him that. Or Cassandra.

“Yeah, yeah it did.”

She knows she should probably leave their flirting at that and go inside. For once, she lets her heart win over by leaning forward to press her lips against his.

His lips are soft and his touch gentle as his hand caresses her hair. It’s more intimate than their usual peck on the lips at school and Allie feels the sparks igniting in her stomach. The smell of Allie’s perfume is dizzying and Harry can’t get enough, but she stops before it can go any further, pulling away slowly.

Harry rests her forehead against hers and they both breathe softly.

“I’ll see you tomorrow.” She whispers after a beat of silence.

“You’ll call me before you go to sleep?”

“Of course.”

***

Everything is going well for the most part (or as well as it can do when you’re in a fake relationship that doesn’t feel like fake anymore). That is until the night of another one of Harry’s infamous parties.

She has to go as she agreed she would. It isn’t as bad as she thought, although she still finds it weird hanging around with the people Harry does.

Campbell still creeps her out, and she isn’t fond of Clark or Jason. Luke and Helena treat her like she’s always been in their circle and she appreciates that, but it’s Grizz she sticks to when Harry is elsewhere. The rest are playing a game of beer pong, and Allie cheers on Harry from the sideline with Grizz.

“You two are unexpected pair.” He comments, and she knows it isn’t meant to be ill intended, just something he’s observed. “Everyone always thought you were into Will.”

Allie gulps at the mention of the boy. She hasn’t really seen or heard from him in so long – they text occasionally and have small talk when they pass each other at school but that’s all. His new found relationship with Kelly and hers with Harry have dragged them apart.

She misses him, but not in the way she thought she would. She misses her friend.

“Is Will here tonight?”

“Yeah, I saw him earlier. Don’t know if Harry knows that though.”

“Probably better to keep it that way,” she mumbles. “I’ll be right back.”

It takes her a while to find him. When she does, it’s by chance.

He’s holding two cups, presumably one for him and Kelly if she’s here. She doesn’t know why they bothered coming after last time.

“Will, hey,” she stops him as he’s walking.

“Hey.” That’s it for him, as he then continues to leave. It makes Allie’s heart hurt – she doesn’t want to turn into merely acquaintances when they know almost everything about one another.

“I miss you.” She confesses which makes him halt.

“Doesn’t seem like it.” He spits back. He doesn’t even seem sad like she does. That’s worse.

“I do. You’re my best friend. We hardly even talk anymore, and why? It’s stupid.”

“Things had been different for a long time, Allie.”

She instinctively recoils at his harsh tone. Will and she never really argued, so this feels more intense than usual. Her eyes begin to sting with the threat of tears she hopes won’t fall. 

“Different how?” she begs, because this isn’t how she wanted their conversation to go. Allie wanted reconciliation, not to make it worse.

“I knew about your crush on me, Allie. You can’t just… change things like that.”

“You can’t expect me to control how I feel, Will.”

He walks closer to her, much closer than they’re used to. His mouth is inches away from hers. She knows he’s looking at her lips because she’s staring at his eyes, alarmed. This is never the situation she once dreamed about. There are no butterflies in her stomach, no racing pulse. All she can think about instead is Harry. “And how do you feel now?”

“What the fuck?” Will jumps back at the sound of Harry’s voice.

He storms over to the two of them. She’s seen him angry or bitter when he’s around Cassandra, but this is different. He looks furious.

“Done playing with Kelly, now you’re onto Allie?”

Will is only looking at Allie though. His expression is unreadable and she thinks that maybe she doesn’t know him like she thought she did. She wouldn’t have thought he would do that, to Kelly, or to Allie.

“Go.” That’s all she tells him, and this time he listens to her.

Harry drives her home. Neither of them seem up for talking this time. Allie stares out the window the whole way and Harry is like a silent storm beside her. She doesn’t even notice when they’re home.

“So, I guess we’re done then?” Harry just asks like that, no emotion in his voice at all.

“What?” she mumbles.

“You got what you wanted. Will’s obviously over Kelly and into you. It worked. I don’t really see the point anymore.”

Allie’s heart breaks for the second time that night. She hadn’t even thought about them ending. Maybe that was selfish of her, she thinks, but she didn’t want it to. It hadn’t felt like pretend to her, but maybe to him it wasn’t real.

“Okay.”

She leaves without saying anything else and doesn’t look back. When she’s finally alone, she cries by herself.

Allie blames herself for falling for people that she shouldn’t.

***

“Get up.”

Cassandra is on the end of her bed.

Allie groans.

Her sister seems to be past sympathy for her now that it’s hit five days of her lying in bed avoiding everyone and so she rips the blankets from Allie.

Allie told her everything in the middle of her crying sessions, including the fake relationship of her and Harry. Cassandra was everything she needed in that moment – her older sister who let her sob on her shoulder and reassure her that she wasn’t stupid like she kept repeating.

“You’re getting up, and you’re going to school. You can’t afford to miss anymore.” She speaks, and that doesn’t sound any bit encouraging to Allie. All the girl can think about is facing Harry and Will and how she’d rather not. “Lying in bed won’t make you feel better.”

“Beg to differ,” Allie argues.

“Come on. I’ll be right by your side all day.”

“I don’t know what I’m going to say to them.”

“Then don’t say anything,” Cassandra offers. She hadn’t said much about Harry or Will herself and only let Allie speak for herself. She doesn’t know where she stands on it all. “Just get through today.”

Cassandra stays true to her words and doesn’t leave her once. It’s okay mostly, because Allie keeps her head down and focuses on being invisible.

She’s not invisible though. Not anymore.

The first person to approach her isn’t either of the two she’s dreading. It’s Kelly, who offers her a smile. “Allie, are you okay?”

Cassandra is next to her, but Allie places a hand on her arm to let her know she can handle this one, and so her sister leaves to give them space.

“Um, I’m okay,” she answers as best as she can. What Allie really wants to know is what Kelly knows. Will was ready to kiss her that night.

She answers that for her like she can read her mind. “I broke up with Will.” Allie can only stare back in response. “Harry told me about what happened. Will doesn’t know what he wants and… that’s okay.”

“That’s okay?” Allie refutes, shocked. She expected Kelly to maybe be mad at her. Not understanding. “Kelly, he tried…”

“I know, but I’ll be fine. It was different with him. He was nicer, maybe more considerate, but I think I want to focus on myself for a while. I haven’t really figured out who I want to be yet.”

Allie doesn’t think she could admire the girl any more. “I wish we’d had time to become real friends, you know. Without all this going on.”

“We _are_ friends,” Kelly corrects her, “which is why I’m here. Have you spoken to Harry?”

Allie swallows the lump in her throat. “No.”

“You should. You haven’t been to school in nearly a week and I think he just misses you. I think you miss him too.”

She does. Harry had become the biggest presence in her life the time they were together and now she feels almost empty without him.

“Maybe another day.” Allie tells her.

She knows she can’t avoid people forever.

Allie is in the cafeteria waiting for Cassandra to join her when Will sits down next to her. Her back straightens and she desperately longs for her sister to hurry up.

“Can we talk?” he asks, and Allie wants to tell him _no_, but there isn’t any way out of this conversation.

“Okay.” She resigns. As she’s looking around though, she sees Harry. He’s in their, or now his, usual spot. He’s looking at her too, and she wants to go to him, but she doesn’t think he wants her to. Harry’s drops his gaze and instead looks at Will before quickly turning around.

This is why she wanted to stay in bed.

“I’m sorry. I really am. I played with your feelings and I ignored you for the longest time because of Kelly and I just… I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

She nods because she believes him, and because she’s tired. She doesn’t want things to continue as they are. “Like I said, I missed my friend.”

“So, we’re good?” He makes sure, his eyes hopeful.

“We’re good, Will.”

He lets out a breath of relief and Allie’s shoulders lighten only a little knowing one piece of her life is back. “I know I said a lot of shit about Harry too but he cares about you. A lot. I should’ve trusted you.”

“I don’t think it matters now,” Allie mumbles.

“The guy looks a mess. I think he’s just as heartbroken as you.”

“I’m not heartbroken.” She denies.

“Allie, help yourself out for once and admit what you’re feeling. You’re in love with him.”

She lets her eyes fall back over to where he sits. He’s slouched over, not taking part in conversation with any of the guys. She knows she’s in love with him, can tell by the way her heart soars and aches all at once merely thinking of him. It isn’t clear when it happened, but she is.

Before anything else happens, she wants to tell him.

Allie takes a risk by rushing out of her last class and heading towards Harry’s usual parking spot. His car is still there which means he’s yet to leave, and maybe the universe isn’t playing with her this time.

She waits anxiously, content to look at her feet rather than anywhere else. It feels like it takes him forever, but when she hears him call her name all that thought goes out her mind.

“Allie, what are you doing?” He stops and allows for enough distance between them both. She hates it, wishes he would squeeze her hand and comfort her like she’s used to.

“I just… I need to get this off my chest.” She starts, and works up her courage. “When I told Will we were dating, it was a stupid thing that came out before I really thought of what the consequences would be. Then it changed everything for me. I don’t know about you, Harry, but it wasn’t all pretend. Not for me.”

He’s still quiet, and she doesn’t know how take that. “I love you. Somewhere along the way, everything changed and I… I can’t just go without you in my life. You once said to me that once this was over we would still be friends. Can we at least go back to that, if nothing else?”

She waits for his response, but his mouth stays parted in surprise. “Can you say something already?”

He doesn’t say anything and instead breaks the distance between them and cups her face with his hands to press his lips against her. It’s more passionate and needy than before and Allie already knows five days without him has been too much. “I’m in love with you too.” He says finally as they break apart. “I love you, Allie.”

She smiles so much her cheeks hurt. “So does that mean…”

“I can be your real boyfriend?” He finishes, and Allie nods, her heart feeling happier than it has ever been.

The change doesn’t make much difference.

They go out for more milkshakes, but this time he calls it a _date_ and not a _detour_. (He still goes on about her order choice.)

They watch The Office until they fall asleep, but this time when Allie wakes up she doesn’t move from her position of her head on his chest and instead moves closer into his warmth.

He still dramatically walks to her side to open the car door for her to make a point, except this time she kisses him as thanks.

For all Allie Pressman hates clichés, she likes this one.


End file.
